Even a small increase in productivity can be a powerful competitive advantage. There are many technologies that are infiltrating our lives in silent ways. From wearables, communication beacons and various sensors to smart home devices, we deal with dozens of “connected things” every day.
There are many good reasons to adopt smart office technology, and through the use of IoT in the workplace, you can increase efficiency, simplify workflow, and create a safer and more comfortable office environment for your employees.
1. What is a smart office?
An office equipped with IoT devices and connected to the Internet is often referred to as a “smart office”. It represents an intelligent ecosystem that relies on a large number of connected devices, often used to monitor, control and manage various operations and work environments.
2. The benefits of IoT for the office
- Save energy, by automatically adjusting the lighting and temperature in the office, power resources can be used more efficiently and waste is reduced.
- Effective business operations, the use of IoT office equipment can simplify or fully automate some task processes, allowing employees to focus on more important things.
- A comfortable working environment, using a smartphone to directly control the temperature or humidity of the workplace, allowing employees to customize the office environment according to their preferences.
- Improve work efficiency. With the improvement of office comfort, the work efficiency of employees will be greatly improved.
- Improve workplace safety, many IoT office solutions such as security cameras, connected sensors or access control systems can help improve workplace safety. For example, installing turnstile gate made by Macrosafe at the door of the office can give you a better understanding of the time employees spend in the office.
3. The concept of smart office
Despite its steady growth and huge potential, the smart office market is still in its early stages of development. IoT office applications are being overtaken by other industries that also benefit from IoT, such as home automation, health and fitness, and retail and inventory management. However, there are several IoT office ideas that can advance now:
1. Safety
Security cameras, smart locks and various sensors are the most common IoT devices in the workplace. In addition, outdated access control systems can be eliminated and physical documents can be replaced with digital certificates by simply installing an app on a smartphone, the same applies to visitor management and access control.
2. Energy use
Using IoT in the workplace can also allow businesses to save more energy, and smart lighting or automatic window shades can help adjust light intensity, color, and reduce waste. Once the sensor knows that no one is in the room, the light turns off automatically. Furthermore, by installing an energy management system, it is possible to fully control the efficacy and energy consumption of the office.
3. Temperature control
Smart thermostats that create an optimal indoor temperature environment for everyone in the workplace to feel comfortable. Also, it saves energy consumption, just like smart lighting solutions.
4. Communication and collaboration
IoT-enabled meeting rooms offer various opportunities to simplify tasks, including room occupancy management. The intelligent conference room scheduling system can make office life easy and efficient, while solving space management and coordination problems. It is even possible to use robots to create hands-on experiences of working remotely, not to mention the use of various smart projectors and interactive whiteboards.
Despite the clear benefits and existing case studies, there are some interested consumers who are skeptical about smart office technology, and many business owners are still hesitant to invest in IoT in the workplace, and some of them have tried various products. People have complex feelings about the Internet of Things. However, having an IoT-enabled office means being able to manage temperature or lighting from a smartphone, and it also means safer, more efficient operations, and therefore a higher return on investment. Whether or not you decide to implement these solutions in the office, keep in mind that even a small increase in productivity can be a powerful competitive advantage, not to mention that a comfortable office environment can help attract and retain the best talent.
